Manager/Coach KREXIT: The 'Robbo Out' thread.

[Oxford84]

No they don't, there just excuses for Karl to use. Every team in this league has had the exact same problems and challenges. Hopefully the new consortium have more ambition then half our fanbase.

Would love to get to the Championship but this isn’t the 90s anymore,it’s going to take millions to survive at that level.

 

[m]

I wonder why those who predict with absolute confidence whether we would or wouldn't have made the play offs last year are wasting their time titting around on an Internet forum.

I'd be rinsing every bookie on Earth.

 

[brassmonkey]

We have had relegation form for two thirds of this season. I would suggest that we are more likely to be relegated than promoted next season if Robinson continues to 'steer the ship'

 

[OX14]

And more patience than the other half!

I doubt it, once Tiger is out the way, the board will have higher expectations and once they see they will not be met they will get rid.. they won't keep him just because we finished in the play offs on ppg 2 seasons ago.

 

[OxfordYankee]

I don’t want too much, but here is a list of the things I do want:

1. A balanced squad
2. A squad of fit, athletic players who’re capable of playing for 90 minutes
3. Players to play in their correct positions

Not much to ask for, yet consistently we aren’t treated to even those basics, all of which are within the gift of the manager.

His worst failure isn’t that of missing the playoffs, it’s his inability and refusal to deliver the basic fabric of a successful team.

I’d be shocked if the people who’ve given him a small fortune aren’t mightily annoyed at his profligacy.

 

[Pete Burrett]

I don’t want too much, but here is a list of the things I do want:

1. A balanced squad
2. A squad of fit, athletic players who’re capable of playing for 90 minutes
3. Players to play in their correct positions

Not much to ask for, yet we consistently aren’t treated to even those basics, all of which are within the gift of the manager.

His worst failure isn’t that of missing the playoffs, it’s his inability and refusal to deliver the basic fabric of a successful team.

I’d be shocked if the people who’ve given him a small fortune aren’t mightily annoyed at his profligacy.

These discussions often become polarised between those who have a reasonable expectation for OUFC's future and those who will never gladly accept criticism of the club's current state.

Personally, even if billions in Far East money appeared I wouldn't expect an OUFC season in the top flight in the next decade. But with decent investment why shouldn't OUFC bounce between tiers two and three, perhaps not stabilising in the Championship but returning there for short spells?

But our current situation is surely unsatisfactory? Apparent lack of ambition needs to be rectified, not justified with a long list of often flimsy reasons.

Or perhaps we should just revert back to the rather sad 'positive bus' idea of a couple of seasons ago, where some insisted that just believing OUFC would succeed would be enough?

 

[horseman]

No they don't, there just excuses for Karl to use. Every team in this league has had the exact same problems and challenges. Hopefully the new consortium have more ambition then half our fanbase.

Do tell what this ambition is that we so clearly lack?

At the start of the season most were predicting being in or around the play offs being a good season BUT let's stop right there shall we as last season we did reach the final but lost THEN THAT BECAME THE PROBLEM.

Everyone is aware just what a lottery the Play Offs are, having got there nobody has a given right to win them and gain promotion, we lost the final it happens get over it

I bet there is not one fan who does not have hopes or dreams or else what would be the point?

In one breath we have fans debating how much we can get for A B OR C and in the next when they are sold moaning that we are not where they "Expect" and "Demand" us to be

Football fans have varying "Opinions" on Managers and Players but everyone wants the best for our club

 

[Manorlounger]

Football fans have varying "Opinions" on Managers and Players but everyone wants the best for our club

I think the problem with that is that "best" is not a specific quantity/level and is therefore defined by the individual. We go round in circles telling each other what is or isn't "best".
I would be very happy with winning a lot more games than losing. I would love that to lead to promotion but, at the same time acknowledge that, traditionally, OUFC is not seen as a top flight club. I don't wish to accept that concept but others use it to define their version of "best".

 

[Thomas/Brock/Jones]

I think the problem with that is that "best" is not a specific quantity/level and is therefore defined by the individual. We go round in circles telling each other what is or isn't "best".
I would be very happy with winning a lot more games than losing. I would love that to lead to promotion but, at the same time acknowledge that, traditionally, OUFC is not seen as a top flight club. I don't wish to accept that concept but others use it to define their version of "best".

Its not anyones version of ' best ' being a midtable league one side .
Its just a reality as that is where we are and actually its not that bad to be stabilised before pushing on with extra investment as that is 99% how clubs progress .

 

[OX14]

Do tell what this ambition is that we so clearly lack?

At the start of the season most were predicting being in or around the play offs being a good season BUT let's stop right there shall we as last season we did reach the final but lost THEN THAT BECAME THE PROBLEM.

Everyone is aware just what a lottery the Play Offs are, having got there nobody has a given right to win them and gain promotion, we lost the final it happens get over it

I bet there is not one fan who does not have hopes or dreams or else what would be the point?

In one breath we have fans debating how much we can get for A B OR C and in the next when they are sold moaning that we are not where they "Expect" and "Demand" us to be

Football fans have varying "Opinions" on Managers and Players but everyone wants the best for our club

You're correct I want the best for the club, that's why I'm questioning wether Robbo is the correct man to take us to our ultimate goal of the championship.

Karl is frustrating more then anything, his recruitment this year hasn't been good enough, not to mention his tactics, players in wrong positions, it's no wonder we are so inconsistent.

The worse thing about Robbo though is he doesn't own up his mistakes and doesn't seem to learn from them.

Judgment will be out next season and another slow start surely alot more will be asking for him to go.

 

[WuTang]

The fact some people can see last season as a complete failure and that we were just as likely to finish 10th as 3rd is completely baffling to me! 5 years ago we were league 2. 11 years ago we were in the conference. Mapp got us up, then ditched us to play second fiddle at Leicester, and then the next manager damn near relegated us before KR came in and steadied the ship. KR then stuck by the club as Tiger's first year in charge was riddled with financial problems and he still had to contend with the remains of the crap left behind by Pep. He then took us on a proper promotion challenge, that had 5 wins in a row that took immense character, not just luck (Shrewsbury), and had us absolutely flying for the run in before Covid hit, exactly like we're seeing at Sunderland and Blackpool this season. Anyone who thinks either of those two is going to finish 10th are either completely mad or so glass half empty that any positivity is like poison.

Yes, this season, the most bizarre season in history with no fans, a late starting season, covid postponements every other week in the first half of the season, and the ridiculous squad cap that meant we had to play players out of position, we've not done as well as last season. But given the constant anchor of our stadium, we'll have been hit harder than most financially this season, and we STILL had a go at flirting with the playoffs before stuttering. I know there are some (not all!) that just dislike KR and will never like him, but to demand his head for saving us from relegation and solidifying us as a mid to upper table league 1 side in 3 years, with a playoff final, some half decent cup runs and some fantastic profits on player sales, it is completely baffling to me. We are in a league with Sunderland, Hull, Ipswich, Pompey, Charlton, Peterborough, 6 teams with bigger budgets, history, fanbases than us, as well as decent league 1 sides in Blackpool and Doncaster, and arguably a couple of others. We over achieved last season and this season I'd say we are about where we should be given the other sides in the league. To say KR has "failed" is to say that anything under over achieving is a failure, and in any other workplace that would be seen as a toxic environment. On the pitch, we're where we should be, it's boring but we aren't doing badly, and off the pitch he's done a damn good job. If that warrants firing then you might as well fire 80% of the other managers in the game.

Factors that every club in League One had to deal with... not just OUFC.

OUFC were the 4th biggest spenders on agent fees, which will correlate to transfer spending and wages.

Our owners have made their ambitions clear, they want OUFC to be in the Championship, that is Karl Robinsons objective and it appears he HAS been given the budget to match those bigger clubs so that's where our board will be hoping we finish.

I'm certain if they are providing funding like that then they will have more ambition than "I'd take mid-table before the season started" and "mid-table is where we should be", I've seen in this thread, otherwise we might as well cement this as the OUFC division and strap ourselves in for a Rochdale scenario where they spent 36 consecutive seasons in League Two

 

[m]

... strap ourselves in for a Rochdale scenario where they spent 36 consecutive seasons in League Two

Ah, but they got to league one in the end though didn't they, all it takes is a little patience.

We could be playing Championship football as soon as 2054.

 

[RyanioBirdio]

Last season we won 5 in a row to push us up the table and looked unbeatable.

We won 9 league games out of 10 this season and looked unbeatable. We then took 13 points from the next 13 league games once that run ended. Swings and roundabouts.

Nobody knows what would have happened in a world where Covid didn’t curtail the season, but there’s just as much evidence that we probably wouldn’t have sustained any purple patch as there is that we would’ve gone storming into the automatics. It feels a little like whataboutism to judge on anything other than what we definitively know.

I think it’s good to have the debate, though.

 

[Oufcrealist]

I don’t want too much, but here is a list of the things I do want:

1. A balanced squad
2. A squad of fit, athletic players who’re capable of playing for 90 minutes
3. Players to play in their correct positions

Not much to ask for, yet consistently we aren’t treated to even those basics, all of which are within the gift of the manager.

His worst failure isn’t that of missing the playoffs, it’s his inability and refusal to deliver the basic fabric of a successful team.

I’d be shocked if the people who’ve given him a small fortune aren’t mightily annoyed at his profligacy.

Spot on!!

 

[Carpy]

I don’t want too much, but here is a list of the things I do want:

1. A balanced squad
2. A squad of fit, athletic players who’re capable of playing for 90 minutes
3. Players to play in their correct positions

Not much to ask for, yet consistently we aren’t treated to even those basics, all of which are within the gift of the manager.

His worst failure isn’t that of missing the playoffs, it’s his inability and refusal to deliver the basic fabric of a successful team.

I’d be shocked if the people who’ve given him a small fortune aren’t mightily annoyed at his profligacy.

Like you say, not much to ask for, I'd love for people supporting him to explain why we have DMs playing left back, CM playing right back, RM playing CM... In fact, I know their response, injuries, when that is questioned, they will say, oh well this season is different.

That argument for me doesn't hold water, we knew at the start of the transfer window last summer what the schedule would look like, anyone with half a brain could tell games would be called off due to Covid, so build a team that is balanced, build a team that is robust and don't hide behind some lame excuse when you don't do the above and it comes crashing down.

And lets not forget, every team is in exactly the same position, we are not the only team that had games called off, we're not the only ones with injuries.

 

[Jolteon]

We won 9 league games out of 10 this season and looked unbeatable. We then took 13 points from the next 13 league games once that run ended. Swings and roundabouts.

Nobody knows what would have happened in a world where Covid didn’t curtail the season, but there’s just as much evidence that we probably wouldn’t have sustained any purple patch as there is that we would’ve gone storming into the automatics. It feels a little like whataboutism to judge on anything other than what we definitively know.

I think it’s good to have the debate, though.

I would counter that with some of those 9 games we looked poor but managed to grind the win, whereas the 5 wins last season we looked brilliant in. I'm not saying KR is the messiah, he's a decent manager at this level and no more for now. But I have to ask again, would you say Sunderland look like a team who could suddenly drop off? Because that is the more fair comparison rather than us last season and us this season because, clearly, our squad last season was better. As much as I agree its whataboutism, I think most people when the season ended would have agreed we were the form side and, in the most likely scenario, would have ended strongly in the playoffs or perhaps even autos, and for some to say we could've ended 10th with the hindsight of the following season to beat KR with is a little preposterous.

Factors that every club in League One had to deal with... not just OUFC.

OUFC were the 4th biggest spenders on agent fees, which will correlate to transfer spending and wages.

Our owners have made their ambitions clear, they want OUFC to be in the Championship, that is Karl Robinsons objective and it appears he HAS been given the budget to match those bigger clubs so that's where our board will be hoping we finish.

I'm certain if they are providing funding like that then they will have more ambition than "I'd take mid-table before the season started" and "mid-table is where we should be", I've seen in this thread, otherwise we might as well cement this as the OUFC division and strap ourselves in for a Rochdale scenario where they spent 36 consecutive seasons in League Two

I would counter that with, yes, we spent 4th most on agent fees, but we also brought in Taylor, Winnall, Obita, Osei Yaw and Asonganyi on free transfers which would have buffed the agent fees, have several loans, and also renewed the contracts of KR, Stevens and, perhaps the big one, Cameron Brannagan who no doubt the agent will have asked for a hefty chunk to stop Cam from going to the Championship for free this upcoming summer. Add in Cooper, Clare and McNally too for a smaller agent cost and you can see why ours is so high.

In the long term, I 100% agree the aspirations of the board, myself, and I'd wager every single OUFC fan are Championship stability. But given the stadium and the Covid situations, the other teams in the division, the squad cap etc. I'm merely trying to get the point across that mid table THIS SEASON is an ok return. Assuming the takeover goes through in the summer, if end of next season we finish 12th, or even by January we aren't challenging, I'd 100% be on the KR out train, even despite the good he does behind the scenes. I'm sure none of the KR supporters on this thread want mid table mediocrity for the long term, but believe that this season isn't as damning as some are making it out to be.

 

[Reynolds97]

Quite amusing seeing the people who hammered me saying we should look elsewhere if KR doesn't play offs call for his head a week later.

 

[RyanioBirdio]

But I have to ask again, would you say Sunderland look like a team who could suddenly drop off? Because that is the more fair comparison

What’s the lowest Sunderland have been in the division this season? Because both this season and last season, we’ve been in and around the bottom quarter with a dozen games played before flying the other way.

In fact, I’ve just had a look at where Sunderland have been in the league at the end of each calendar month this season:

September: 5th
October: 7th
November: 8th
December: 11th
January: 6th
February: 5th
March: 3rd

They are currently still third.

So Sunderland have been well inside the top half of the table all season long, and bar December have never been below 8th at the end of any given month. That’s pretty consistent. They have been there or thereabouts from the first kick of a ball. Now let’s look at our league position at the end of each month this season:

September: 11th
October: 23rd
November: 19th
December: 15th
January: 8th
February: 9th
March: 9th

Manic. 11th to 23rd to 19th to 15th to 8th. We’re now back down to 12th from being 9th a week ago.

However, I believe that your point is that our form last season was comparable to Sunderland’s this season. So here is our league position at the end of each month last season, to mirror theirs from this:

August: 18th
September: 10th
October: 5th
November: 6th
December: 2nd
January: 8th
February: 8th

Admittedly, pretty comparable from October onwards. But that last bit is kind of the point. Sunderland never plunged to the depths of the bottom quarter of the table like we did early in the season; they have shown consistency and been right on the cusp of playoffs if not inside them pretty much all the way through. Last season we won five league games in a row right before Covid hit, but we only won once in the eight league games directly before that. Then directly before that we lost just one league game in 15, but directly before that we only won once in seven. So we were pretty unpredictable in a way they haven’t been. We already had form for swinging from one extreme to the other, so there is as much of a chance that we would’ve gone on a wobble as there is that we would’ve taken off like a rocket. Again, nobody knows. Sunderland this season, however, had one slightly rocky patch where they won once in nine games between game weeks 11-19, but even then they only lost twice. They were still picking up points. They’ve lost five games in 38 matches this season; last season we lost nearly double that in three games less. Again, a step up in consistency.

So I’m not sure it’s quite as perfect a comparison as you claim, but it’s not a million miles away. Although they still haven’t finished in the top two anyway. I do however think that our form this season does have some kind of relevance to the debate, though, as when added to the mix it does point to us being wildly inconsistent by our very nature, which is kind of the point when people say they’re so sure that glory was inevitable a year ago. It’s still the same guy overseeing it all and his teams tend to have the same ‘flamboyant’ tendencies.

You also say we aren’t as good this season as last season in terms of the players but we’ve certainly not tightened the belt with a budget firmly in and around the top eight, while spending the fourth most on agents in the entire division. We also spent six-figure fees on the likes of Clare, McNally and Cooper while a lot of other clubs were busy trying to shed players due to the salary cap, let alone worrying about paying fees for new ones. Plus we spent pretty well on contracts for Brannagan, Taylor, Winnall etc as well as the loans, including Shodipo who has actually scored more goals than a player like Fosu did, for example. Fosu scored 10 in 33 last season, the last of which came in his 32nd game. Shodipo matched those 10 goals after just 22 games this season and has scored another since. Christ, even Winnall has scored one goal more than Mackie did last season in 20-odd games less. But that’s a separate issue.

 

[battman]

Last season we won five league games in a row right before Covid hit, but we only won once in the eight league games directly before that. Then directly before that we lost just one league game in 15, but directly before that we only won once in seven. So we were pretty unpredictable in a way they haven’t been. We already had form for swinging from one extreme to the other, so there is as much of a chance that we would’ve gone on a wobble as there is that we would’ve taken off like a rocket.

Amazing how many people seem to forget this. As much as Karl's brought some highs to the club, he's also brought some of the biggest lows since the conference days.

 

[OX14]

Amazing how many people seem to forget this. As much as Karl's brought some highs to the club, he's also brought some of the biggest lows since the conference days.

Exactly, I'm not sure what exactly it will take for these people to wake up and see Karl is not the manager to build a team capable of sustaining a promotion push throughout the whole season. Some say he got unlucky last season with the pandemic but he could of also got lucky that there wasn't the continuation of the season where his side plummeted back down to mid table.

Certain fans seem to allow under performance on the pitch because of what he does off the pitch and how well he speaks of the club. Now I acknowledge ringing fans that have lost relatives is a nice touch but is he the only manager of a club to do this?

He is employed as a manager of this club, once he has left he won't be in the stands cheering us on like beano. He reminds us of that in a few of his interviews with radio ox where he states its not his club its our club. Get a grip people!